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The Innovation Studio, Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise and Research Center, UMKC

UMKC unveils innovation studio, inviting students, entrepreneurs to collaborate within $32M research center

By Tommy Felts / September 29, 2021

In a hiring environment where college graduates are expected to possess honed skills for even entry-level positions, a state-of-the-art innovation studio in the heart of Kansas City allows students access to technology to actually build products within their chosen professions. “We have never had a facility like this — with the diversity of equipment and…

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Carla Harris, Morgan Stanley

An absent-minded workplace gaffe, a nationwide Starbucks controversy; why the CEO ‘leadership jersey’ demands fearlessness on diversity, inclusion

By Tommy Felts / September 28, 2021

Editor’s note: The following story is sponsored by Morgan Stanley, a New York-based multinational investment bank and financial services company, and is a follow-up to this summer’s “Nothing to Fear” virtual panel discussion on diversity and inclusion efforts. The conversation was led by Carla Harris, vice chairman and managing director at Morgan Stanley, with moderator Channa…

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Kerryann Kocher, Vytelle

Fulcrum herds oversubscribed $13.2M round for KC cattle tech startup with KCRise Fund, iiM in the corral

By Tommy Felts / September 28, 2021

A Kansas City-based precision livestock company will use its fresh Series A funding harvest to accelerate genetic progress and sustainably deliver more protein with fewer inputs, its top executive announced Tuesday. “Our mission is clear, and we are grateful for the support of our investors who join us on our journey to ensure meat and…

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Justin Smith and Dan Millman, All Clear Dryer Vent Cleaning

Airtasker fills Zaarly footprint, launching in KC (and bringing back gigs for local ‘Taskers’)

By Tommy Felts / September 24, 2021

Airtasker announced this week the fast-growing Australian tech company with global aspirations has officially launched its U.S. presence via the Kansas City market — alongside pushes in Dallas and Miami — making good on plans shared with Startland News in June Next up: Atlanta, later this year. The news comes about four months after Airtasker — an…

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The Patron Saint of Firebrand, Firebrand Collective

New look, renewed outlook: Women-powered Firebrand Collective bringing coworking back to West Bottoms

By Tommy Felts / September 24, 2021

A revamped Firebrand Collective is relaunching Oct. 1 in the West Bottoms after two months of extensive upgrades and renovations at the woman-focused coworking location, its owner announced Thursday. The hiatus allowed time to transform Firebrand from a coworking “space” to a coworking “community,” emphasized Megan Adams, founder and head of community at Firebrand Collective.…

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Jackie Nguyen, Cafe Cà Phê

Why Jackie Nguyen is planning a permanent stop, safe space for Cafe Cà Phê in Columbus Park

By Tommy Felts / September 24, 2021

After a year of serving culture in coffee, Jackie Nguyen has found a permanent home for her mobile Vietnamese cafe in the Columbus Park neighborhood, she said, but the actress-turned-activist plans to take an unconventional route to opening the storefront.  “I want to create a different path and show that minority, first-generation women can start…

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Terri S. Turner and Robert Curland, Cowork KCI

As new terminal nears, Cowork KCI sells amid 87-acre development along airport corridor

By Tommy Felts / September 23, 2021

Cowork KCI might have new owners, but the coworking veterans behind the Northland venture aren’t stepping too far away from the gate, they said. The 8,000-square-foot flex office space at 12200 N Ambassador Drive — less than a five-minute drive from Kansas City International Airport — has sold to the Ambassador Building. Robert L. Curland and…

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Sonny Patel, founder and CEO of Insurmi, with Steve Gardner and Charlotte Clark, bcp tech accelerator, and Jim Erickson, EDCKC

Chatbots to wedding insurance: Meet the four premium InsurTech startups selected for KC’s bcp tech accelerator

By Tommy Felts / September 23, 2021

Four of the industry’s most-promising seed stage startups — an international mix of insurtech solutions — are expected to be the beneficiaries of Kansas City’s extensive insurance expertise, explained Nathan Kurtz, announcing the second cohort of the LaunchKC-backed bcp tech InsurTech accelerator. “We are very insurance focused,” said Kurtz, COO of Brush Creek Partners (bcp). “And there’s…

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Edna Martinson, Boddle

Edna Martinson notches another big win for Boddle, earning $100K from Google for Startups fund

By Tommy Felts / September 22, 2021

The second cohort of a Google for Startups program focused on high potential ventures from Black entrepreneurs features a high-profile founder who built her company in Kansas City before relocating to Tulsa in 2020. The Black Founders Fund announced the selection of Edna Martinson, co-founder of Boddle Learning, Tuesday in a rollout of the 50…

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WATCH: Startland News Reports – Kansas City VC-Backed Companies

By Tommy Felts / September 22, 2021

Join Startland News for another edition of Startland News Reports as findings from its 2021 Kansas City VC-Backed Companies Report — a collaboration between UMKC’s Tech Venture Studio and Startland News — inform candid conversations with Kansas City-based startup founders and venture capital experts.

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